The football rivalry between Prairie du Chien High School and Lancaster High School dates back to 1897, with the Flying Arrows holding a 56-31-4 record all-time over the Hawks entering their week eight matchup this past Friday night.
The rivalry during the John Hoch era at Lancaster (1982-2021) was usually one sided more often than not, with the Flying Arrows going 30-10 against the Hawks during his 39 seasons as head coach. That included 13 straight wins by Lancaster from 1989 to 2001. Prairie du Chien went 6-4 against Hoch during his first 10 seasons (1982-1991), with all six wins coming in a row from 1983 to 1988.
This last decade however has been much more competitive between the two programs. Five of the previous eight games prior to this season finishing as one-score games, and this year would be no exception.
The Hawks received the opening kickoff and senior Mason Hird quickly set the tone of the game by taking the kickoff deep into Lancaster territory. Two plays later, junior Darian Jackson broke through the line and into the end zone for a quick 6-0 lead by Prairie du Chien less than a minute into the game. Prairie du Chien would recover a Lancaster fumble on the Arrows first possession of the game to quickly flip the field back in favor of the Hawks when sophomore quarterback Cayden Sutter connected with sophomore wide receiver Brock Radloff in the end zone for the Hawks second touchdown of the first quarter.
Lancaster would cut into the Hawks lead with a touchdown early in the second quarter but subsequently missed the extra point to make the score 14-6 in favor of the Hawks. Radloff would break loose on a running play a few minutes later for the Hawks as he would outrace the Arrows defense 60 yards for his second touchdown of the game as Prairie du Chien would go up 21-6. The second quarter scoring was far from over.
Following the Hawks getting the ball back with just a couple of minutes until halftime, Sutter found sophomore Drake Chesebro on a pass and Chesebro broke free for a 67-yard touchdown. Garrett DeHart connected on his fourth extra point attempt for the first half and the Hawks held a commanding 28-6 lead on the Flying Arrows with not much time remaining until halftime. So it seemed at the time because on the ensuing Prairie du Chien kickoff, Arrows’ senior Noah Hanke received the kickoff on his own nine-yard line and took it 91 yards for a touchdown. Lancaster’s offense then went for the two-point conversion and got it to make it a 28-14 game with seconds remaining before halftime. The Hawks were able to get deep into Lancaster territory to attempt a field goal with limited time remaining but DeHart’s attempt was no good and the game stood at 28-14 at halftime.
Lancaster received the ball to begin the second half and managed to score twice in the third quarter but were unable to convert the pair of two-point conversion attempts as the Hawks took a slim 28-26 lead into the fourth quarter. Both teams had their chances in the fourth quarter to put points up on the scoreboard but both defenses stepped up each time to keep both teams out of the end zone as the game ended 28-26 in favor of Prairie du Chien.
A week after rushing the ball 39 times on the road at New Glarus, Jackson ran the ball 32 times for 166 yards and one touchdown, becoming the first running back in program history to rush 30 or more times in back-to-back games. The previous high water mark was twice in four games by Brad Bark in 1999 and Zach Thornton in 2011. Deacon Chesebro (seven carries for 60 yards), Radloff (one carry for 60 yards and one touchdown), Hird (three carries for 20 yards) and Sutter (four carries for six yards) accounted for the Hawks 312 rushing yards as a team in the win.
Sutter was 4-for-7 passing for 99 yards and two touchdowns, with Drake Chesebro (one catch for 67 yards and one touchdown), Radloff (one catch for 13 yards and one touchdown), Hird (one catch for nine yards) and Deacon Chesebro (one catch for 10 yards) each having a pass reception.
Hird had three kickoff returns for 129 yards while Drake Chesebro recovered a fumble with Ashton Landt and Westin Marx each forcing a Lancaster fumble.
Combined with last year’s 42-7 victory at Lancaster, PdC Football has now won back-to-back games against the Flying Arrows for the first time since winning six consecutive games from 1983 to 1988. The win was also the program’s first homecoming victory over the Arrows since 1946 and just the third one ever (1940 being the other occasion) as PdC Football is now 3-6-1 all-time vs. Lancaster on homecoming.
Prairie du Chien got some incredible help from New Glarus after the game as the Glarner Knights held on to knock off River Valley 31-30 in an incredible back-and-forth game. River Valley trailed seven with 13 seconds left in the game and the ball deep in New Glarus territory. The Blackhawks got the touchdown with 10 seconds left and decided to go for the two-point conversion and the win, only to be stopped by the Glarner Knight defense. River Valley then kicked and received an on-side kick with seven seconds remaining. Valley managed to march down to the New Glarus 31-yard line with three seconds left in the game. The Blackhawks’ 48-yard field goal attempt as time expired was no good and New Glarus had created a three-way tie for first place in the SWC between PdC, River Valley and themselves heading into the final week of the regular season.
With a win at Richland Center this Friday night, the Hawks (5-3, 5-1 in the SWC) can clinch a share of their second consecutive conference title a feat that has not been done by the program since winning the SWAL three consecutive years from 1983 to 1985. In fact, PdC Football has only won back-to-back (or longer) conference titles two other times in program history - in 1940 and 1941 and from 1975 to 1979.
